


A Warm Night In

by DarkDanc3r



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Secret Solenoid, Slice of Life, Thundercracker Spends Too Much Time In His Own Head
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:54:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22076527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkDanc3r/pseuds/DarkDanc3r
Summary: For CitronThundercracker returns home to the Sierra Nevada mountains to find an unexpected housewarming gift.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 41
Collections: Secret Solenoid '19-'20





	A Warm Night In

**Author's Note:**

> For Citron, who requested IDW 05, Thundercracker, Marissa, and Buster cuddled up next to a fireplace while TC reads Marissa his latest screenplay.
> 
> I'm sorry, he went all introspective on me. Boy spends too much time thinking.

A hum of pleasure slid through Thundercracker’s systems as his aerie came into view through the snowfall. He was pleased to return ‘home’ after a week spent in Hollywood soliciting interest in a second movie - not a sequel to  _ Chuckles _ , but something based off his original screenplays. Or maybe a retelling of some of his favorite Vosian holo-dramas but with Susan Journeyer and Josh Boyfriend on Earth instead of Lightspeed and his trine on Cybertron. Something he could maybe entice Karen Fishook into starring in. The blue Seeker waggled his wings in excitement at the idea, and then flipped into his root mode at the entrance to the aerie he’d been given by the EDF. No match for a proper aerie in Vos, perhaps, but his and Buster’s alone, and that made it worth a lot.

He shivered his plating to flick off the worst of the wet from the snowfall, plating heated enough to keep anything from freezing but loathe to bring any more melted snow inside than he absolutely had to. He slipped through the door before it had opened fully and triggered it shut after him, again trying to minimize the wet. He had no rugs or fabric to be damaged - the mess simply annoyed him. And it could be bad for Buster’s paws to be cold and wet. While the weather outside was nothing more than a minor inconvenience to him, it could be dangerous to his darling pet.

Speaking of… Thundercracker smiled to remember that Buster would be returning with Marissa later. The human had taken his dog to the groomers, somewhere that Thundercracker could not easily go, but they would be returning to the aerie soon.

He was still smiling as he brought up the lights in the main room of the two-room aerie, only to freeze. 

Someone had been in his home while he’d been gone. 

Thundercracker frowned as he surveyed the sitting room of his aerie. While he’d been gone in Hollywood, someone had come in and rearranged things. Added things he certainly didn’t need. 

The seat that had been designed to his specifications and welded together by a human - rather talented creature, the welds were perfect and rather artistic - had been moved from its position against the wall, turned to face the wall instead of facing the center of the room. Oddly, it was lumpy - there was some sort of padding added, covered in a tough canvas sort of material that might actually stand a chance of surviving the edges of his plating. Facing the seat was a… was that a fire pit of some sort? He did a quick search of the human’s internet, trying to identify the new addition, and frowned as he identified it as a ‘fireplace’. What need did he have of such a thing? He could smell propane gas and could only imagine that any fire would be fueled by the gas, though there was real wood in the grate as well.

Thundercracker scratched at his helm, perplexed. Fire was a hazard in forested areas, though less so during winter, and he was more than capable of generating any heat he needed to keep Buster warm at night - the aerie was well insulated, after all. Perhaps the humans actually thought he’d get cold?

Or was it for Buster’s benefit? Surely she couldn’t manipulate the mechanics of the fireplace, and with her fur fire was a danger. 

He turned to head out, ready to fly down to the city where Marissa was with Buster and demand answers, but… the padding… it had been far too long since he’d had a padded chair. Decepticons didn’t believe in comfort as a general rule, and humans were woefully unprepared to make comfortable furnishings for Cybertonian allies, or so Thundercracker had previously believed.

Perhaps things had changed.

Lured by the potential of comfort, Thundercracker approached the chair, poking at the canvas covering his seat. The material did an admirable job of resisting his claws - perhaps it was made of that kevlar material Marrisa’s uniform was made of. The material was known for its resistance to slicing damage, and would hold up reasonably well against his plating without shifting and getting caught

It was even a pleasing dark blue nearly the color of his plating.

He surveyed the seat, pressing a hand into the padding and trying to get a read on the material inside. Some sort of foam, he assumed, cut into chunks and stuffed into shaped bags which appeared to be tied to his chair. Interesting. Not upholstered, exactly, but much easier to clean. Ingenious.

Finally giving in to the allure, he settled down and bit back a moan of decadent pleasure as he sank into the padding. Nothing popped or tore, and he wiggled a little to shift the padding into the perfect configuration to cradle his frame. Oh, but he’d forgotten just how nice a properly padded chair could be.

He was fighting with himself to get up when Marissa entered, preceded by Buster barking enthusiastically as she charged her seated master. Thundercracker beamed and patted his lap, encouraging his favorite person to join him, and she took the carefully placed steps up the side of his chair like the champion athlete he knew she was. He curled his hands around her wiggly form and cradled her to his cockpit, glad to have her back. It had been too quiet in Hollywood without her.

Once Buster had settled against his chest Thundercracker turned his attention to Marissa, watching the human woman fiddle with something on the side of the fireplace. He watched with interest as the scent of propane increased, and then flames leapt into existence - trapped behind a pane of glass he hadn’t noticed behind the pile of wood. Heat immediately began to permeate the room, but thanks to the glass there was no risk of Buster getting too close and lighting her fur on fire. Brilliant!

Marissa straightened and looked up at him, and offered a smile Thundercracker wasn’t used to seeing aimed in his direction. “I know I should’ve asked before having the contractors build this, but I thought I would share a winter tradition with you and Buster.” The human woman offered as she approached Thundercracker, and when he offered a hand to her she stepped onto it to be lifted up onto his lap where they could speak more easily - and where Buster could cuddle her second favorite person.

Once Marissa was settled against Thundercracker, she continued speaking. “The tradition is that you gather around the fireplace with your family and read stories to each other. I figured… you’re probably already working on another screenplay…?”

Thundercracker blinked, surprised and pleased by the idea. He hadn’t thought Marissa interested in his writing, but perhaps he’d been wrong? Careful not to jostle either of the ladies on his lap - and not read too much into the ‘family’ thing - he pulled the start of his next work out of his subspace, and glanced at Marissa again to be certain. When she nodded, he smiled, and started reading out loud.

With his two favorite organics curled up in his lap, his aerie warmed by more than just the fire, Thundercracker crafted his next great story.


End file.
